Valve device for fountain brushes



Patented Sept. 16, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2.255379 VALVE nnvroa roa FOUNTAIN nausnns Edward S. Garvey, Clayton, Mo., asslgnor to Garvey Fountain Brush & Ink 00., St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application December 2, 1938, Serial No. 243,494

2 Claims.

This invention relates to valve devices for fountain brushes, and more particularly to a brush of this kind wherein a valve device is employed to control the delivery of fluid from a reservoir to the brush. One of the objects of the invention is to positively overcome the several problems involved in preventing undesirable leakage of ink, or other fluid.

A further object is to accomplish this result in a relatively simple mechanical device having its several elements so arranged that each element intended to prevent leakage will most effectively perform its function, without requiring frequent attention to adjustments, repairs, and the like.

Another object is to produce a fountain brush of this kind having its valve-operating member conveniently located at one side of the device. This location of the operating member is quite desirable, but it involves special problems in preventing leakage, not only when the valve is closed, but also when the valve is opened to discharge the ink or other fluid.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention comprises the novel construction,

combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more specifically described and shown in the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one form of the invention.- However, it is to be understood that the invention comprehends changes, variations and modifications within the scope of the claims hereunto appended. Fig. 1 is a side view of a fountain brush embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1, the lower portion 01' the brush and the upper portion of the reservoir being broken away.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 8-3 in Fig. 2.

To illustrate one form of the invention, I have shown a stencil brush equipped with the improvements, but it will be understood that the new features may be employed in a fountain brush of any type. In the accompanying drawing, I designates a main reservoir for ink, or other fluid; 2 designates a valve housing screwed into and extending from the lower end of the reservoir so as to form the bottom wall of said reservoir. A brush tip 3 is provided with a threaded ring I at its upper end screwed into the lower portion of the valve housing.

The valve housing 2 has a vertical inlet port 5 leading from the reservoir, and a vertical discharge port 8 leading to the brush, said ports being offset with relation to each other to locate the discharge port 0 at the center of the brush.

However, an intermediate transverse passage 1 connects said oflset inlet and discharge ports. This transverse passage extends almost entirely across the housing 2 and it contains a tubular valve holder 8 having tapered external threads 9 near its outer end screwed into said housing to prevent leakage at this point. The outer end of said tubular holder is exposed at one side of the device to receive a wrench, or the like, which may be employed to firmly seat the tubular valve holder in the housing 2.

The inner end portion of the tubular valve holder 8 is provided with a beveled seat for a beveled valve I0. Furthermore, the peripheral portion of this tubular holder 8 is provided with an annular abutment Ii facing the inlet'end of said transverse passage 1 and firmly seated against an annular portion of the housing 2 so as to positively prevent leakage at this point. It will be observed that when said tubular holder 8 is screwed into the, housing 2, the annular abutment Ii can be very firmly seated against the housing 2 to serve as a permanently closed valve in preventing leakage around said tubular holder 8. A permanent seal of this kind is quite desirable, as the inner end of the valve holder is constantly exposed to the pressure of fluid in the reservoir I, even when-the valve i0 is closed. In commercial practice, I have found that the housing 2 can be conveniently made of aluminum, while the tubular member 8 is made of brass, and that the above mentionedpermanent seal at the annular abutment H can be readily obtained by merely screwing the tubular member 8 into the housing 2. l

The tubular valve housing 8 is formed wtih an internal partition. I2, and transverse portsli3 between said partition and the valve 10, so'a's to provide for the delivery of fluid from the valve to thedischarge port 6. An annular recess It may be formed around the transverse ports l3 to insure free delivery of fluid from the interior of the tubular valve holder to the discharge port 6 which leads from said annular recess to the.

to the vertical discharge port 8 at the center of the brush. The "head pressure of the small body of ink in said auxiliary reservoir is sumcient to provide the desired gravity discharge of the residual body of ink.

The valve i is provided with a-stem it passing through the partition I2, and an operating member I6 detachably screwed onto the outer end of said stem. This operating member is slidably fitted to the interior of the tubular member 8 and exposed at the exterior of the device at a point where it can be very conveniently pressed by a thumb or finger of the person using the brush.

An annular follower I1 is slidable on the stem l5, and packing i8 is interposed between said follower and the partition l2. A compression spring is interposed between the follower H and the operating member IE to force the valve it onto its seat, and at'the same time retain the packing I 8 under pressure. It will be observed that the slidable follower I1 is a floating member automatically adjusted by the spring l9 to constantly retain the packing l8 under 'pressure, without requiring attention to a manually adjustable gland.

Furthermore, the danger of leakage at this point Occurs when the operating member I6 is pressed to open the valve III, which admits fluid under pressure into the chamber 20 at the left side of the partition It. At this time, the spring is, follower I1 and packing I8- are subjected to additional pressure which tightens the flexible packing around the stem whenever this packing is subjected to fluid under pressure.

Commercial use of the device herein disclosed has shown that it actually overcomes outstanding'problems heretofore involved in preventing leakage from a fountain brush, at the same time providing the convenience of a valve-operating member at one side of the device, which is an aggravating factor in the prevention of leakage. However, in view of this specific example, vari ous modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art, and it is, therefore, understood that the patent extends to modifications within the scopeof terms employed in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a valve device for a fountain brush provided with a main ink reservoirand a brush tip separated from the lower end of said main ink reservoir, a valve housing provided with threaded extensions at its upper and lower margins to con-' nect the lower end of said main ink reservoir to valve housing being oflset relative to the discharge port at the bottom, a hori'zonal passageway extending from a side face of the valve housing to the auxiliary ink reservoir at the bottom of said inlet port, a tubular valve holder screwed into said passageway so as to communicate with said auxiliary ink reservoir and the discharge port, said tubular valve holder having an outer end portion exposed .at one side of said valve housing and an inner end portion provided with an annular abutment shoulder firmly seated again an annular portion of said housing in an area at one side of said auxiliary ink reservoir, the opposite side of said auxiliary ink reservoir being closed to confine the ink, said tubular valve holder also having a reduced extension projec ing from said annular abutment shoulder and provided with a valve seat at the inner end of.

said valve holder, a valve facing said closedopposite side of the auxiliary ink reservoir .and engaging said valve seat, an operating stem integrally united with said valve and extending to said outer end portion of the tubular valve holdseparated from the lower end of said main ink reservoir, a valve housing provided with threaded upper and lower extensions to connect the lower end of said main ink reservoir to the upper end of the brush tip, said valve housing forming the bottom wall of said main reservoir and having an inlet port at the top in free communication with the lower end of the main ink reservoir from which the ink flows by gravity, an auxiliary ink reservoir at the bottom of said inlet port, saidauxiliary reservoir being immediately below and in free communication with said main ink reservoir, said valve housing also having a discharge port at the bottom for the discharge of ink by gravity from said auxiliary reservoir to the brush, said auxiliary reservoir and the inlet port at the top or the valve housing being alined with each other but offset relative to said discharge port, a horizontal passageway extending from a side of the valve housing and terminating in the auxiliary ink reservoir at the bottom of said inlet port, a tubular valve holder screwed into said passageway so as to communicate with said auxiliary reservoir and the discharge port, said tubular valve holder having an outer end portion exposed at one side of said valve housing and an inner end portion provided with an annular abutment shoulder firmly seated in said hous ing in an area at one side of said auxiliary reservoir so as to form an annular seal between said valve holder and said side of the auxiliary ink reservoir, the opposite side of said auxiliary ink reservoir being closed to confine the ink, said tubular valve holder also having a reduced ex tension projecting from said annular abutment shoulder andprovided with a valve seat in said auxiliary ink reservoir, a valve engaging said valve seat, said valve being located within said auxiliary ink reservoir and arranged directly between said valve seat and said closed opposite side of the auxiliary reservoir, an operating stem united with said valve and extending toward said outer end portion of the tubular valve holder,

and an operating member at the outer end of said stem.

EDWARD S. GARVEY. 

